In nursing care, obtaining the correct diagnosis or result is very important. By doing so, the patient can receive the right treatment he/she needs. If an RN fails to do it correctly and if something bad happens to the patient due to the RN’s misconduct, the RN will be subjected to disciplinary action by the Board. The RN involved with such a case can ask for help from a nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an RN at a detention facility in Killeen, Texas, and had been in that position for seven (7) years and ten (10) months
On or about May 18, 2020, while employed as an RN at a detention facility in Killeen, Texas, RN failed to assess a patient, who was diabetic and had a blood glucose reading of 439 on May 17, 2020, after the LVN reported the patient had been to medical, while RN was off the unit, for a Sick Call Request which stated the patient had experienced seven (7) days of vomiting, cramping, and shortness of breath. Instead, RN signed off on the Sick Call Request and explained that LVN should have charted on Urgent/Emergent Record according to the instructions on Standing Delegated Order. Subsequently, the patient was found without a pulse or respirations at approximately 0400 on May 21, 2020. RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient from clinical decisions based on incomplete assessment information and may have contributed to the patient’s death on May 21, 2020 from diabetic ketoacidosis.
In response to the above incident, RN states she was off the unit when the patient came in and it was several hours later before the LVN talked to her about the patient so she called the and instructed patient’s unit to allow him access to medical for any further nausea and vomiting.
The above action constitutes grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Section 301.452(b)(10)&(13), Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.11(1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(M)&(3)(A) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(A),(1)(B)&(4).
A case was ultimately filed against her before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). The said allegation was fatal to the RN’s capability to perform the essential functions and duties. Sad to say, the nursing defense attorney who handled her case was not able to properly defend her interests and rights before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) found her guilty of the offense alleged in the complaint and decided to place her RN license under disciplinary action.
If you also received a letter from the Texas Board of Nursing regarding a case or complaint filed against you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated nurse attorneys who helped represent more than 300 nurse cases for the past 16 years. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.